County Clerk: 2021 Record Year for Property Transfers

Cape May County saw a record 2021 in many areas, including the Cape May County Clerk’s Office. Last year saw a record number of deeds and property transfers and total revenue collected through the Clerk’s Office.
Cape May County Clerk Rita Rothberg announced that there were 14,076 deeds or property transfers last year, which is 2,000 more than any other year since 2005. The County Clerk collected $71.5 million in recording and realty transfer fees, out of which Cape May County retained $9.6 million. The rest is passed through to the State government. Both revenue figures were records.
A similarly impressive trend continued from the Clerk’s midyear report, where 2021 surpassed all of 2014 and 2015 combined for revenue and deeds/property transfers. There were also 15,222 new mortgages reported in Cape May County last year, which is the most since 2006.  
“I attribute the larger revenue to increased property sale prices due to inflation and an additional 2306 property transfers over 2020,” said Rothberg. “In my view the COVID lockdowns into 2021 with increased work from home eligibility caused homebuyers to flee urban areas for Cape May County.”
The Clerk’s office has seen increases in these key metrics year-over-year since 2014. The Cape May County Clerk’s Office continued to work through the pandemic and provide alternate opportunities for people when in-person services had to be shut down initially. 
“These numbers are amazing and show the investment people are making in Cape May County,” said Cape May County Commissioner Vice-Director Len Desiderio. “It also is a reminder of the amazing work Rita and her office handle all throughout the year. During difficult circumstances since the beginning of the pandemic, her office has found ways to continue a high level of service for the public.”